Train from Guilin to Chongqing
After my overnight train experience in Europe with People to People two years ago, I said I'd NEVER ride on one again. I broke that promise and I wish I hadn't! This was the longest 19 hours of my entire life. I thought it would never end. I purposely didn't drink or eat much so I wouldn't have to use the disgusting toilet on the train that consisted of a hole in the ground (which I'm quite used to) with a bucket of water to use to flush. No, thank you! Tim thought it was never going to end because he was probably so tired of my grumpy, anxious mood the entire time. He made friends with our 2 bottom bunk roommates. They couldn't speak English and we couldn't speak Chinese so they seriously drank warm beer, ate repulsive snacks (like real chicken fingers with fingernails!), and used the Chinese/English phrasebook to "talk" for 3 hours. I put on my earphones and tried to get some sleep. Didn't get much and was SO excited to arrive in Chongqing! P.S. I'm NEVER riding an overnight train again...until we have to ride on the train from Pingyao to Xi'An! UGH! |
| From China Part 4 Chongqing to Yichang on Yangtze River Cruise...train to Chongqing |
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| From China Part 4 Chongqing to Yichang on Yangtze River Cruise...train to Chongqing |
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| From China Part 4 Chongqing to Yichang on Yangtze River Cruise...train to Chongqing |
pictures from the train ride...
Chongqing
I was beyond excited to be OFF of that train! So was Tim. We arrived at 8:30am and couldn't board our cruise until 5pm. That meant an entire day of doing nothing but lugging around our bags in the hazy, hot, and humid weather! After visiting with a cute baby and eating at a fast food restaurant, we headed to the city square of Chongqing. I think the train may have been more pleasant! We were surrounded by gawkers and hawkers. If one more person came by saying, "Lady, you need a map?" I probably would have slapped them. I really don't mind people staring because it happens all of the time in Japan. However, I do mind people invading my personal space and that is what happened. After getting no sleep, being in the same clothes for 2 days, and being in an unfamiliar place, neither of us wanted anything to do with people staring at us like we were aliens and seriously checking us out up close and personal. It felt like I won the lottery when 5:00 came along! |
| From China Part 4 Chongqing to Yichang on Yangtze River Cruise...Chongqing |
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| From China Part 4 Chongqing to Yichang on Yangtze River Cruise...Chongqing |
pictures from Chongqing...
Yangtze River Cruise
We had a hard time finding the right boat but somehow we found the one person in the city who could speak English and she helped us. We paid a porter to get our luggage to the boat because it was quite a ways down. I'm not usually a fan of sleeping on boats but I've never been happier to get on board in my life! The first room they showed us was nice, but the second room was an upgrade and had a balcony. Tim said, "Yes, we'll take it!" with no hesitations. He said I deserved it after the train ride and the day from hell. He's a keeper!The cruise was definitely one of the highlights of China. The scenery was amazing! We also enjoyed experiencing something different. Neither of us had ever been through ship locks and Engineer Tim really found it fascinating (as did I). The dam was massive! Quite incredible trip down the river.
Highlights from our cruise down the Yangtze (Tim may or may not elaborate on some of these.):
- rest/relaxation/food
- excursion to Ghost City Fengdu (Well known resting place for the spirit of the dead...new Fengdu County is built across the river because of the 3 Gorges Dam Project. Part of the ghost city is now underwater.)
From China Part 4 Chongqing to Yichang on Yangtze River Cruise - excursion to Shibaozhai Pagoda
From China Part 4 Chongqing to Yichang on Yangtze River Cruise - scenery of the 3 Gorges
From China Part 4 Chongqing to Yichang on Yangtze River Cruise - excursion with boatmen on the stream
From China Part 4 Chongqing to Yichang on Yangtze River Cruise - ship locks
From China Part 4 Chongqing to Yichang on Yangtze River Cruise - excursion to the Three Gorges Dam
From China Part 4 Chongqing to Yichang on Yangtze River Cruise - celebrating Tim's 35th birthday on the last day
From China Part 4 Chongqing to Yichang on Yangtze River Cruise
more pictures from Yangtze River Cruise...
Yichang
Our new friends, Valerie and David, asked their Yichang tour guide if we could tag along to the airport. We killed some time by going to a silk embroidery museum. It was amazing! The embroidery pieces look like paintings. I kept coming back to one and it was too expensive even after bargaining. Tim surprised me and bought it for my birthday. It's hanging in our bedroom now and I love looking at it every morning when I wake up! It's gorgeous! |
| From China Part 4 Chongqing to Yichang on Yangtze River Cruise...Yichang |
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| From China Part 4 Chongqing to Yichang on Yangtze River Cruise...Yichang |
pictures from Yichang...
Next stop...Shanghai!
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